Name:
Eupatorium serotinum - Polygonum (lapathifolium, punctatum, pensylvanicum) Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Lea, C. 2000. Plant communities ...
Description:
This association is known only from the Potomac River in the Piedmont and mountain provinces of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Well-documented occurrences are concentrated in high-gradient reaches of the Potomac, particularly near the fall-line (Potomac Gorge) and at Harpers Ferry. The type occurs on sandy riverbanks and depositional bars, as well as in sand deposits on bedrock floodplains and boulder bars. These habitats experience high rates of sediment erosion and turnover during even moderate floods and are inundated for 3-12% of the year, but are generally exposed for most of the growing season. Vegetation may be sparse during years of more continuous high water during the growing season. In normal growing seasons, the type is a dense growth of tall (1-2 m), predominantly annual herbs. Some weedy, fast-growing perennials are also characteristic. <i>Eupatorium serotinum, Polygonum lapathifolium, Polygonum punctatum, Polygonum pensylvanicum, Datura stramonium, Artemisia annua, Amaranthus spinosus</i>, and <i>Verbena urticifolia</i> are relatively constant and generally contribute most of the cover. Additional, less constant or abundant species include <i>Polygonum caespitosum var. longisetum, Conoclinium coelestinum (= Eupatorium coelestinum), Verbesina alternifolia, Perilla frutescens, Chenopodium ambrosioides, Mollugo verticillata, Teucrium canadense, Solanum ptychanthum, Verbena hastata, Urtica dioica ssp. dioica, Solanum carolinense</i>, and <i>Hibiscus laevis</i>. Herbaceous vines may also be numerous, with <i>Calystegia sepium, Cynanchum laeve</i>, and <i>Cuscuta gronovii</i> most frequent. Scattered individuals of shrubby to full-sized flood-tolerant trees (e.g., <i>Platanus occidentalis, Acer saccharinum</i>) may be present.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.37254.CEGL006481
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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- status: accepted
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This Community's Level:
association
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 This Community's Children:
[none]
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Names:
Common: Piedmont / Central Appalachian Scour Bar Herbaceous Vegetation
Translated: Late-flowering Thoroughwort - (Curlytop Knotweed, Dotted Smartweed, Pennsylvania Smartweed) Herbaceous Vegetation
Scientific: Eupatorium serotinum - Polygonum (lapathifolium, punctatum, pensylvanicum) Herbaceous Vegetation
Code: CEGL006481
UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.802169
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